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| The blood wagon, the fastest way off the piste for the injured, or you call out the helicopter.. |
Julian Bray, Travel Expert writes: The thought of a 2015 ski holiday and hammering down an off piste black run is now something my bank manager hopes I'll leave to my two sons Dominic and Oliver.
The former a well respected surgeon, and the latter founded Xtreme Gap Holidays. Both are accomplished skiers and believe in being fully insured, but even they might have taken a sharp intake of breath, at the cost of calling out the 'blood wagon' on the ski slopes this 2015 season.
Recent insurance claims data highlights the most expensive countries for medical assistance, relating to winter sports accidents, sadly many Brits still try to ski without any medical insurance in place or skimp by opting for minimal rates excluding off-piste cover, then promptly going off-piste! Its also not been helped by the increasing popularity of snowboarding, simply snowboarders and skiers on the same piste do not always mix, and some resorts are waking up to this as the medical centres are now even busier and charge accordingly.
• The cost of leg fracture medical bills in the USA averages over £26,000 and almost £15,000 in Canada
• Canada and USA are now the most expensive countries for winter sports medical assistance – with an average cost of over £11,000 per medical assistance
•After Canada and USA, Austria and Switzerland are the next most expensive countries for medical assistance
Insurance claims analysis from Allianz Global Assistance UK and Ski Club of Great Britain shows greatly enhanced costs for medical assistance for injuries on the slopes. Treatment for a head injury in Canada and medical air ambulance repatriation, known in the trade as a Medevac to the UK, presented an eye watering invoice in excess of £145,000. Those heading for the slopes really have to ensure they have insurance providing adequate cover for their needs, or face the financial consequences.
Barry Smith, at Allianz Global Assistance UK: “Looking at the average costs of medical assistance provided for Ski Club of Great Britain policy holders, by far the most expensive countries are Canada and the USA, each averaging over £11,000 in costs per claim. In addition to the Canadian £145,000 bill, the rest in our top five from the USA, ranging from £33,000 to £81,000 for bone fractures.”
After Canada and the USA, Austria and Switzerland are considered the next most expensive for medical assistance, the average costs of over £2,000 and £1,200 respectively. The USA topped lists for both leg and arm fractures, a leg fracture £26,107, and for an arm the debt climbs to £40,950.
Frank McCusker, Ski Club of Great Britain says: “Whilst most skiers and snowboarders do return home in one piece, it doesn’t take much to sustain a serious, and hugely expensive, injury on the slopes. The high costs monitored in the past few years could leave an individual in financial difficulty if they did not have appropriate travel cover in place to cover the bills.
JULIAN BRAY ++44(0)1733 345581, Journalist, Broadcaster, Aviation Security & Operations Expert, Travel / Cruise Industry, EQUITY, NUJ, Broadcast COOBE ISDN ++44 (0)1733 345020 (DUAL CODEC) SKYPE: JULIAN.BRAY.UK e&oe Cell: 07944 217476 or iPhone 0743 530 3145 #VENDOR 10476453 http://feeds.feedburner.com/BraysDuckhouseBlog
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